


Look Look Look

by starrylitme



Category: New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Angst, Antagonism, Break Up, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Jealousy, M/M, One-Sided Attraction, Unresolved Emotional Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-26
Updated: 2020-08-26
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:34:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,670
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26124307
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starrylitme/pseuds/starrylitme
Summary: They both have one reason for interacting with each other, and that reason is to get Momota Kaito's attention.
Relationships: Momota Kaito/Oma Kokichi, Momota Kaito/Saihara Shuichi, Oma Kokichi & Saihara Shuichi
Comments: 8
Kudos: 92





	Look Look Look

**Author's Note:**

> I guess these fics are longer than drabbles but still pretty short and thus they often are left hanging. In this case though, in addition to wanting to keep things short, I'm not exactly sure how it would go afterward anyway.
> 
> Anyway, I like both Oumota and Saimota a lot but y'all know Oumota reigns supreme in my heart. I do LIKE Saioumota too but I think a lot about Trial 4 in v3 in which Ouma just lavishes Saihara with praise solely because he's using him to get under Kaito's skin. And Saihara just slams him after the fact and tells him he'll only ever be alone because of the way he acts! But Kaito sticks with Ouma in his final moments anyway...
> 
> Aaaaaaaah! I digress! That kind of dynamic was super interesting so I wrote a short thing to explore it in a less murder-y setting! I honestly also wanted to include Kaede making out with some girls (because you know me), but puuuuuh. It didn't seem relevant. So instead it's just these dumb boys with a dumb gay crush that they get even dumber over.
> 
> Hopefully that's enjoyable in its own way.

“Oi, Shuuichi!” With a friendly wave and a friendlier grin, Momota Kaito shone brighter than the sun. “Hey, you got any free time or what?”

It’s so bright it hurts to look at. Bright enough that he wants to shrivel and retreat into the shadows, but that wasn’t going to happen when two thin arms latch onto his own like a vice.

“Soooorry, Momota-chan!” Ouma exclaims with the same amount of cheer, even if it’s just a cheap facsimile of the real thing. He presses against Saihara, his grip unforgiving rather than secure. “Saihara-chan already promised his day away to little ol’ me!”

“You again?!” Momota’s smile dropped, his teeth gritting. “Haven’t you been hogging enough of Shuuichi’s time! Seriously, Shuuichi...” Momota’s gaze darts towards him, and Saihara freezes under such a strong stare. He’d reach up to yank down the brim of his hat—but dammit. Momota had convinced him to toss the thing weeks ago. “He’s not blackmailing you, is he?”

“Wah! What a horrible thing to accuse someone!” Ouma squeezes his arm hard enough to cut off circulation. Saihara thinks of trapped wolves gnawing off their legs to escape. Ouma sniffles, exaggerated but still putting on an impeccable show regardless with tears welling up in his eyes. “T-That you’d even think so lowly of me, Momota-chan... That hurts! That really, really hurts!”

Momota looks unimpressed, but his gaze bores into Ouma. Saihara thinks of leeches.

“It’s nothing like that,” he whispers. “It’s not—anything like that, Momota-kun. I’m fine, it’s fine.”

Momota hardly looks relieved. He’s also hardly looking at Saihara at all, gaze still focused more on Ouma, wiping off his face and sniffling loudly. Momota’s brow furrows the way it does when he’s working on a puzzle.

Saihara thinks of drowning. Drowning with leeches.

“It’s fine,” he repeated. “I’ll talk to you later, Momota-kun.” A pause. A sharp inhale. “Ouma-kun. Let’s go.”

“M-Mm,” Ouma nods, still caught in his tearful act. “I wanna leave right away. Momota-chan is horrible!”

Momota rolled his eyes, but he does grin at Saihara. Easy and kind. Saihara eagerly searches his expression for a reassuring hint of disappointment.

“Later, Shuuichi.”

Momota waves him off, turning on his heel without another comment. Saihara feels cold.

“Ooh,” Ouma coos, quiet and pressing up against him again. Saihara can feel the other’s racing heart and contemplates digging his elbow into Ouma’s sternum. Of course. He’d never do anything like that. He wasn’t Momota Kaito, after all.

Momota, who does glance back. At Ouma. Ouma sticks his tongue out, and Momota hurriedly snaps his head forward with a huff.

He hadn’t given Saihara a second glance.

“Come oooon, Saihara-chan,” Ouma sing-songs, and pulls him along. Weakling that he is, worthless coward that he is, Saihara follows mutely.

* * *

No matter who it is, he just goes along with what the other person wants. Even if he doesn’t really want to do whatever they want to do, he just goes along with it. He can’t say he enjoys being around other people, honestly. He’s not like Akamatsu, who laughs with others and leads as easily as she breathes. Momota is like that, too, of course, but Momota is—

He’s special. Like that.

He’s special and shining, and someone like Saihara Shuuichi can’t stand being around him just as much as he wants to bask in that radiance until he burns to a crisp.

And that’s why he...tolerates Ouma. Sits with him and picks at the treats, at his teacup. It’s more tolerable than those weird card games that Ouma likes to force him through. Or the inane games of Clue. Or the detective dramas that he’s sure Ouma puts on just to watch him squirm.

He doesn’t enjoy it. But, he doesn’t think Ouma’s super crazy about his company either no matter how much he laughs.

They both have one reason for interacting with each other, and that reason—

“I think it’s best to break things off, Ouma-kun.”

“Eh? You’re breaking up with me, Saihara-chan?” Ouma doesn’t even pause in sipping his tea. It’s like they’re discussing how it might rain soon with his dry his tone is. “Just like that, huh.”

“It’s...” Saihara swallowed. He pushes away his own cup. “The more I hang out with you, the less Momota-kun looks at me.”

_He just looks at you. You, you, **you**._

He can’t bear to say that because the last thing he needs is Ouma giving him one of those truly unpleasant smirks.

“You said that an upside to us hanging out would be that Momota-kun would pay me more attention.” Saihara tries not to grit his teeth. “But, it’s been the opposite. Because you’re nothing more than a dirty liar, Ouma-kun.”

Ouma doesn’t even look offended. He just looks bored.

“How was I supposed to know this was how things would turn out?” he asks, yawning into his hand. “Do I look like a seer? Well. It does break my heart that this backfired for you, Saihara-chan. My deepest, sincerest apologies.”

There’s not even an attempt to fake sincerity. For that, Saihara hates him.

“You had a suspicion it wouldn’t. You...”

“Me?” Ouma does feign innocence with wide eyes and pursed lips. “Don’t tell me that you think I’m trying to steal Momota-chan from you. Whyever would I do that? I already have Gonta, I have Amami-chan...” He ticks on his fingers. “Kiiboy’s so fun to mess with, too. And Akamatsu-chan! She’s so much better than Momota-chan. Whatever would I even _need_ Momota-chan for?”

How is he supposed to answer that? Is he supposed to explain all the ways that Momota is kind and wonderful? How Momota is his strength and stability and how lucky he is to know him? How Momota is so overflowing with care and consideration that he looks out for everyone? Everyone— _including Ouma_?

How Momota keeps looking after Ouma, how he keeps bothering with Ouma, how he gets so worked up over Ouma, how he gets so fixated on Ouma because Ouma makes himself _such_ a troublemaker—!

Ouma smiles at him, and Saihara knows in a heartbeat that the other is well aware. Of all that. There’s no point. There’s no point in trying to play along.

“The only reason you even pretended to notice me was because of Momota-kun.” That’s just a fact. He’s suspected it from the beginning. He’s not the kind of person to just attain another’s interest, after all. Even kind-hearted people like Akamatsu and Momota just treat him as they would any other person. “You wanted his attention, too.”

_And you got it. You won. But._

“You don’t even know what to do with it. Momota-kun could look at you like you hung the moon and stars, and you wouldn’t have any idea what to do. You only know how to keep others at a distance, even as you manipulate them into chasing you. Ouma-kun...” Saihara blinked, realizing. “You’re pathetic.”

Ouma’s expression does change. He sets the tea aside. He leans in. There’s nothing but shadows encasing them both. Not a hint of light. Radiance. Anything.

“And you’re any better? If _you_ wanted Momota-chan’s attention, surely there are better ways than trying to make him jealous. The two of you are supposed to be friends, right? Sai-ha-ra-chan?”

“You’re right,” he conceded. “I’m pathetic, too. But...at least being with you let me see the truth.”

_That Momota-kun isn’t going to look at me the way he looks at you._

“Truth?”

It’s funny. Ouma looks genuinely confused. It’s really, really funny.

“What truth?”

“As a detective, it was easy to figure out,” he replied solemnly, shrugging as he did. “But, for a liar like you... It’ll probably take you a while, Ouma-kun.”

“What truth?” Ouma repeated, irritated. “You aren’t even going to tell me? You’re just going to keep that shit to yourself?! You sleazeball!”

Saihara stood up, pulling away even as Ouma scowled at him. With how small Ouma was, it was a wonder anyone could find him intimidating.

“I’m breaking things off. I’m just going to be a normal friend to Momota-kun. And you—you can do whatever, Ouma-kun. I don’t care. I really don’t.”

“Saihara- _chan_!” Ouma whined. Saihara doesn’t even twitch.

If he had been Momota, he would’ve at least grimaced with annoyance. But he’s not, so he doesn’t. There’s nothing to his expression at all.

“Do whatever you want,” he repeated, and he only lets his voice lower for this one thing. “Except, that’s a lie. I will keep an eye on what you do to Momota-kun. As his friend.”

“You _liar_ ,” Ouma hissed. “You’re an even worse liar than I am.”

“But I’m not as pathetic as you.”

Ouma opened his mouth, and then he shut it. His eyes glimmered with emotion—a storm of emotions that Saihara didn’t want to be caught up in, so he turned away.

“Have a nice day.”

* * *

“Ouma’s been in such a stormy mood lately,” Momota sighs later when they’re finally together. Except, Harukawa is there, too, and she’s outwardly irritated.

“Why do you care?” she griped.

“I don’t!” Momota exclaimed, and Saihara notes that it’s such an obvious lie that it’s despairing. Especially when Momota clears his throat a little, and even looks flustered. “I just...notice these things. You don’t think something happened, do ya?”

“I don’t know.” Harukawa rolled her eyes. “And I don’t care.”

Momota shuffles uncomfortably. He looks a little uncertain.

“What do you think, Shuuichi?” he asks next, looking at him—really looking _towards_ him. And how dearly Saihara wanted to agree with Harukawa and tell him not to worry at all.

Except. He knows he doesn’t have that kind of control. And if he can’t do anything about Momota and Ouma getting closer, at the very least he doesn’t want himself and Momota to become more distant.

“Maybe... You should ask him yourself.”

Momota lights up.

“Yeah! Good point! I’ll do that, then! Thanks, Shuuichi!”

He shines brighter than the sun.

It hurts so much.


End file.
